


More to Destiny

by PearLynn



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Book 1 AU, F/M, Ficlet, Slow Burn Katara/Zuko (Avatar), after waterbending scroll
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24981787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PearLynn/pseuds/PearLynn
Summary: the boys were able to slip away, but that meant katara is stuck as prisoner of her greatest enemy until they can come rescue her. unfortunately for her, there's more to the Fire Nation prince than meets the eye.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 52
Kudos: 407





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA... Though wouldn't that be nice?
> 
> hi? I've had this plot bunny for like... 6 years or so. I guess the resurgence of ATLA has sparked my writing ambition again. So enjoy my super short AU ficlet taking place during and after the Waterbending Scroll.
> 
> And look! Something I wrote without smut! Pigs CAN fly!

The ropes burned where they were snugly tied around her wrists, but Katara's attention was instead on the pirates leering at her from down the beach. With the moon high in the sky behind them, she was quick to see the flickers in their beady eyes as they continued to look in her direction. The barker was snickering as the Captain said something to him under his breath, both eyeing her bound form with something she had only seen in one of the seedier parts of ports they had stumbled upon early in their travels.

It worried her more than the fact she was essentially a prisoner of men that would like nothing to do but take advantage of her.

And based on the way his eyes darted from her to the pirates, it seemed that Prince Zuko had the same train of thought as her.

"Uncle Iroh," he hissed loud enough just for her and the portly man to hear. "I don't like how those men are looking over here..."

Iroh agreed, nodding in a sagely way that reminded Katara of Gran Gran. "Perhaps they are... _intrigued_ by our guest."

Zuko looked at her then, his eyes roving her form, before a look crossed his face - a mix of understanding and disgust and she was _livid_ \- then looked back to the older man. "She's not safe here."

"Oh, did you just now figure that out, Prince Zuko?" Iroh mused in a mocking, yet light tone. "Consorting with pirates and holding a young maiden hostage in the middle of the night didn't come across to you as being a little more than you can handle?"

Said prince scowled and looked back to her. He seemed to ponder something unknown where his gold eyes captured the light of the moon, reflecting like a wolf's in a blizzard and suddenly Katara felt very cold. "We need to take her somewhere safer... I do not trust these filthy heathens to maintain their distance if we are otherwise incapacitated."

"Do you intend on leaving her side at any time where they could approach?" Iroh asked, eyes darting to her quickly before looking back to the pirates. Their murmurs were starting to grow, as did their restlessness, and while Katara knew both Zuko and Iroh were both capable fighters, they were severely outnumbered by the pirates down shore, even if the soldiers he had sent out into the woods had just returned.

Zuko's eyes had yet to leave hers, pinning her down - _not that she could move anyway -_ and he hummed with thought before tilting his head slightly towards one of the men behind him, stare still not moving from her. "Any news of the Avatar's location?"

The soldier in question shook his head and replied in a low murmur, "Huang found what was their campsite and it looks like the Avatar is already gone."

Zuko seemed to steam at this, his anger apparent on his face, and he took one breath before he closed his eyes and shot some smoke from his nostrils.

 _Good,_ she thought to herself, _Sokka must have woken up and realized what happened before he got them both out of there. They'll figure out a way to save me from this without getting Aang captured._

"Take her to the boat," he said quietly after he turned to Iroh. "She is not safe out here."

"Or you could just let me go," Katara offered, causing Zuko to give her the flattest look she had ever seen from him. It would have been comical if the circumstances were different. "Just a thought."

"Not until I get what I want," Zuko remarked in a way that made her insides churn. "Uncle, we will need to slip her away from the pirates without raising suspicion."

"Give them back their scroll," Iroh suggested lightly. "They have no use for the Avatar like us. And neither of us have much use for a waterbending lesson."

Katara's heart sank as Zuko took the prized scroll from his belt and looked at it for a long moment. He unfurled it, scanned its contents, then sealed it back up before moving to approach the pirates. "Uncle, get her to the boat while I take care of this."

Iroh nodded and shuffled over to her as Zuko made his way over to the pirates with the handful of his soldiers that had been with them on the beach. He glanced at them over his shoulders to her, meeting her eyes in a carefully blank stare before speaking with the Captain. He was too far for her to hear their exchange, and even if she tried Iroh had started gingerly untying her ropes. While her wrists were still bound, she was no longer up against the tree, so she figured it was a step up. He escorted her to the boat down the shore, gently pushing her up the plank until they were inside the cabin.

There was a shout from outside, but before Katara could look out and find out what was going on Iroh, cleared his throat and stood between her and the door to bar her sight.

As he readjusted her arms so they were tied in front, Iroh said to her quietly, "I know this is probably an empty thing to say, but please trust Prince Zuko to keep you safe from those men."

"Hard to believe Zuko would be so keen to protect an enemy from unsavory men when he's just as keen to capture an innocent young boy and send him off to the Fire Lord," Katara snapped back, aware of the venom in her voice.

Iroh had a sad look on his face when he replied, "Zuko has more honor than most of the men of our nation. He knows what is important and honorable, even if his judgement is sometimes clouded..."

"Doubtful," Katara huffed and looked away. "It would take a lot for me to believe that Zuko has even a tiny honorable bone in his body."

"You'd be surprised, young miss," Iroh countered as he moved to the door. He gazed outside, watching whatever was happening on shore unfold, and he glanced back at her. "If my nephew lacked even a tiny honorable bone in his body, he would do what he feared the pirates would have done if we kept you on that beach any longer."

Before Katara could reply - or wrap her head around that declaration - Zuko came striding in, that sour look on his face and looking a little ruffled, and he said, "Let's go."

He sounded winded and the smell of smoke started to permeate the air of the cabin as soon as he stepped in. Katara glanced behind him and out the door to see the pirates had been strewn about the shore, groaning and smoking as the Fire Nation boat pushed off from the bank and started heading down the river.

"That was not wise, Prince Zuko," Iroh stated from the doorway with a disappointed sigh.

Zuko huffed and dusted off his chest. "The Captain was irate that we took the girl. He felt he was owed her, as well, since she stole from them. So I taught them a lesson courtesy of the Fire Nation."

Another reasoning lingered in the air and Katara tried not to prod at what had been said.

"You should have just let them have the scroll and leave. Now they will have a vendetta."

"What are they going to do?" Zuko shrugged as he finally looked at Katara again. "They got what they wanted. Now I will get what I want, too."

A shiver coursed through her and she was glad that Aang and Sokka had gotten far, far away so Zuko couldn't catch up.

* * *

Silence filled the river boat until they reached the mouth of the river. Once Zuko ordered his men to get the boat back into his cruiser, Katara was escorted to the bow by Iroh. They walked as a group to the deck, where two officers and more soldiers were waiting for them.

"Lieutenant Jee," Zuko started, and one of the officers with sideburns stepped forward. "Tell the helmsman we are ready to depart. Did we get all the supplies we need?"

"Yes, Prince Zuko," Jee replied with a shallow bow and what Katara could only describe as mild disinterest. "All supplies have been stocked and recorded. We will need bearings as soon as you are ready."

"Out of this spirits-forsaken harbor, for starters," Zuko sighed in an exasperated way, more tired than a typical teenager with authority should sound. With that Jee and the other officer made their way to the helm up the strange tower the Fire Nation had on every single one of their ships, leaving Katara alone with Zuko, Iroh, and two soldiers, waiting for more orders.

Zuko then turned to her, eyes shrewd and narrowed, and he got straight to the point.

"Tell me where the Avatar is headed."

"Somewhere far from you."

He frowned and approached her, staring down at her from his nose, and Katara was keenly aware of the brightness of his eyes again, like the center of a fire. He huffed out white smoke from his nostrils into her face and replied, "I have been awfully patient with you, _girl_. I won't ask politely again."

Katara's temper flared and she snapped, "You could at least use my name. Or is it beneath you to even have _that_ kind of courtesy?"

Iroh snorted from behind Zuko and the prince glared over his shoulder. With another huff, Zuko pulled a grimace as he said, "Fine. I supposed formal introductions don't happen often for those in your tribe... However if you insist: My name is Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai and Ursa. Prince of the Fire Nation and Heir to the Throne. To whom may I owe this pleasure?"

The way he said _pleasure_ was dripping with veiled annoyance, yet from behind him still, Iroh snickered and Katara heard him mutter, _"Very well done, Prince Zuko."_

Zuko appeared to pointedly ignore him again, and waited expectantly with a carefully blank expression. And Katara did not know how to act. For someone so... ruthless, Zuko was _capable_ of being somewhat kind and honorable, although it was likely all an act. She just knew.

Perhaps, if she played along, she could get him to see reason and let her go.

"My name is Katara of the Southern Water Tribe," she started, then paused. Zuko offered his title, and his parents... She knew it was customary to announce lineage if it was stated to you. So she sighed and added, "Daughter of Chieftain Hakoda and Kya."

Zuko's eyebrow arched slightly, curiosity in his gaze at her tacked on statement. Instead of questioning her further on _that_ bit of information, Zuko kept on his former inquiry.

"Very well, Katara," he continued, rolling her name off his tongue as if testing the syllables in his accent. It wasn't entirely unpleasant to hear in his rough voice, but she knew she needed to keep a level head and _stop_ thinking of him as anything less than a monster. He started pacing, slowly as his eyes stayed locked on her. "As we have been following you, you have been gradually going north. Not that there's anywhere else to go from the Southern Water Tribe, but I digress. Everywhere you have been spotted are either Fire Nation colonies or small Earth Kingdom villages with no huge rebellions nearby. That really leaves only one more option: are you headed for the Northern Water Tribe?"

Katara pressed her lips together, trying not to show her shock at his spot-on deduction. Zuko must have seen her falter and give away the answer in just her face, and his lips slipped into a knowing smirk.

"The Avatar is likely looking for a waterbending master," Zuko deduced again and looked to Iroh to confirm. "Clearly, _she_ is not capable of teaching him everything he needs to know as the Avatar, and we've only ever see him use airbending, aside from the time he attacked us on the ship. He hasn't mastered any elements but his own."

"A wise observation, nephew."

"If he masters all four elements, there's no telling what he would be capable of," Zuko murmured as he stepped away from Katara and looked out towards the sea. "It's that much more pertinent we capture him to prevent that from happening."

"What are your orders, sir?" one of the men standing behind Katara asked.

Zuko glanced over his shoulder, still apparently deep in thought, and he said, "Change our bearings northward. Keep your eyes out for the flying bison."

His eyes then went to her, pinning her down with their intensity as his mind rolled with his thoughts. "You _will_ tell me what I want to know, sooner rather than later. Until then, I swear no harm will come to you on my ship." He looked to the men behind him. "Take her to the prison hold. No one is to speak to her, touch her, or go to her cell without my orders."

A chorus of "yes sir" came from behind her and she was steered towards the stairs that led below deck. With one last look, Katara sees the lightening sky, and Zuko's glowing eyes watching her disappear beneath the deck.

* * *

_tbc._


	2. Chapter 2

As Katara was led down to the brig, she noticed two things: the ship is _dark_ , regardless of how many lanterns line the wall or how much light it is starting to become outside, and it is sparsely filled with a crew. Maybe less than the same amount of men in her father's fleet filling one small ship... A platoon was the word she heard before... But according to what her father had once said before he left typically Fire Nation cruisers had at least a hundred, if not more on one ship alone, even one this size. There had to be only twenty to thirty men on this ship.

This had to do with Zuko's claim of him needing to regain his honor, she knew it, and it only confused her more.

While the prison hold was not a luxurious place, it was better than she expected. There wasn't water on the floors like she had been warned in the past - _a shame -_ and the lighting was fair compared to the lighting in the hall leading down here, thanks in part to the narrow window at the ceiling. She was led into the cell, then the barred door was locked behind her.

"And what about these?" she asked as she lifted her wrists. "Am I to be tied up the entire time I'm here? What if I need to pee?"

The soldier she directed her question to paled under his helmet, then looked to the other with the face plate. That soldier shrugged and he looked back to her before saying, "You shall await Prince Zuko's arrival, then you may ask him your questions. Until then..."

He trailed off and then shrugged before they both left the brig, and her. Katara huffed at their blatant rudeness and marched over to the cot in the corner - _better than the floor_ , she supposed - and plopped herself down.

 _It could be worse,_ she mused to herself as she adjusted her bound wrists and laid down. The cot was thin, but padded enough that the chill from the floor didn't quite bite as much as it would if she were laying on just a blanket or her coat. A small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless. She looked around her little space, noticing there was only one cell in the entire "prison hold," so she was bound to be alone in that time. She also spotted a sturdy-looking chamber pot in the opposite corner of the cot, which was a welcome relief, but nowhere to wash or bathe, which was a pity.

She figured Zuko had only one cell because he was intending on having only one prisoner.

The adrenaline from getting captured and a whole night of staying awake started to wear off, and Katara was beginning to feel exhausted and drowsy. _Zuko could easily have burned me to a crisp, or given me to the pirates, or taken advantage of me himself. Instead he brought me to safety and promised me no harm..._

A darker thought filled her head as she rolled away from the bars that held her in. _It's all so I lower my guard and tell him where Aang was going... Even if I knew now that he and Sokka ran away, I won't tell him a thing._

That was the last declaration in her head before she was lulled to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Katara was jolted awake by the sound of a clearing throat. She blinked a few times before rolling over to see Zuko standing imperiously outside her cell. His arms were folded across his chest - free of his armor, she noted - and he was giving her a carefully thoughtful glare. He looked smaller without the shoulder pads and the chest plate, yet he was still a tad taller than Sokka and packing on at least thirty more pounds of muscle, too. Despite being young, he was fit and strong. Enough to take her down alone should she try to escape.

"Nice of you to finally wake up," he drawled when she sat up and yawned.

"Yeah, well you kept me up all night so I needed some rest," she quipped back in a voice scratchy with sleep.

Something flashed in his eyes and they narrowed. She did not squirm under his scrutiny, despite the urge to, and instead she leveled her own glare on him until he would relent and let her go.

She doubted he would, but she had to try. She had to hope.

"Are you finding your accommodations acceptable?" he instead asked, eyes not leaving her. "I suppose living in tents your whole life, this would be lavish for you."

"Could use more water," she snapped back and then held up her bound hands for him to see. "And maybe less restraints."

He looked at the ropes wrapped around her wrists for a long moment, then he approached the bars. "Come here."

It was soft, but an order nonetheless, so she hesitated and glared.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She bared her teeth and hissed, "You already have."

He frowned, then gestured again for her to approach. That same unreadable and blank look was on his face, something she couldn't imagine on her own, and after a long moment she stood warily and made her way over to him. Through the bars, Zuko's eyes remained locked with hers as he gripped the ends of the rope, tightened them slightly - a warning, she knew, but she _panicked -_ and then untied them entirely. He broke the eye contact when she rubbed her wrists, and that uneasy sensation never ceased.

"As long as you are in here, these are unnecessary," he finally said after a long moment of silence as he tucked the rope into a pocket in his robe. He met her eyes again, that odd gold color still hard in the low light, and added, "But you will be supervised at all times. I _will_ get some answers out of you, one way or another."

"Not above torture, then?"

He frowned and replied simply, as if he was merely explaining rather than defending himself or his people, "That won't happen. I do not think it necessary."

"But you think it's necessary to capture a young boy and deliver him to the Fire Lord?" Katara frowned as well and continued to rub her wrists where they had been chafed by the rope. "I don't know what your people think of as _necessary,_ but Aang is just a kid. Yes, he's the Avatar, but he's still a kid. You've done nothing but chase and harass us since he woke up and it's completely _un_ necessary."

"It is necessary if I want to go home," Zuko replied through gritted teeth. She had noticed his hackles rise - and if he could control his hair, she's sure it would have fluffed up like a puma cat's tail in his ire, too.

"What, is it a test in order to be in line to become Fire Lord, or something?"

His good eye _actually twitched_ and he was grinding his teeth so hard she could hear it. Without the armor, Zuko was smaller but still angry, imposing, and _threatening_ in front of her. She was defenseless without her water, and he was able to conjure fire at will. No one here would bat an eye if the prisoner was roughed up during interrogation.

Instead of snapping at her like she anticipated - more like _wanted -_ he took a deep breath and smoothed his face. "Are you hungry?"

Despite not having eaten in close to a whole day, Katara pressed her lips together and her eyebrows pulled down. The sounds of the sea splashing against the hull filled what would have been tense silence, but that left it just tense. Zuko started to visibly boil - the air around him was looking warped with the heat - and he huffed out a flame from his mouth before he snapped, "Fine! Starve, for all I care."

Without letting her retort, he spun on his heels and slammed the door to the prison hold behind him, leaving her alone once more.

* * *

Katara could count the days that had passed based on how the sun barely lit her room and the cycles of her meals.

A total of two had passed since she was stolen off the shore, and there was no shortage of Zuko in that time. He first brought her breakfast about an hour after he first stormed off, grumbling unintelligibly under his breath as he slid the tray of rice and mango under the bars. He watched her eat, waiting until she was finished, before asking her again if she knew where Aang and Sokka were going.

Katara remained silent and he huffed out a small plume of fire from his nose before taking her empty tray and leaving her alone.

Iroh came down for lunch, which included some delightful tea and a light soup with a side of vegetables she had never tried before. When she told him so, Iroh asked her if she missed her home, and Katara replied honestly, that _yes, she does. But she will go back once the world is back in balance_. He gave her a sad smile, said he missed his as well, then left her alone with an additional apple.

Zuko came back at dinner, bringing tempura-fried tofu and spicy noodles, and he kept quiet as he watched her eat. When she finished, he only asked her how old she was. She was honest - _fourteen -_ and his subtle shock was not lost on her.

He asked no questions about Aang and left with a troubled look on his face. Later that evening, a private by the name of Shin took her to the communal bathing area to let her clean herself up. He had been ordered by Zuko to do it because he was the only married soldier on the ship. Katara learned he was very thankful for the job - unlike the others here - because while his marriage was supposed to be under wraps since it was technically _against the law_ for some reason, Zuko just looked the other way regarding Shin's husband, who was stationed at a place called Pohuai as an archer of some sorts. Shin told her that Zuko was a good man, despite his short temper and single-sighted mindset. He was still a kid, and needed to figure himself out, that's all.

Katara, despite hearing such a sentiment from a person of the Fire Nation, was thankful for his discretion as she washed the sweat and grime from the past few days of travel, and was able to sleep soundly as the ship brought them further out to sea.

On the second morning, Zuko brought jook and a drink that tasted like what she imagined burned parchment poured into water would taste like. Zuko seemed particularly offended that she said that sentiment to him out loud.

"Here and I was trying to be nice!"

"By _poisoning_ me?!"

He growled and hissed out smoke between his clenched teeth. "It's just _tea_."

"Did you make it?" she guffawed, and when he didn't respond she laughed even louder.

Zuko left the dishes in her cell and stomped back up the stairs.

Iroh came back at lunch, saw the leftover dishes, and shook his head. "I should apologize for my nephew's behavior."

Katara toed her cot as she frowned. "Why are you apologizing for him? It's not your fault he's an ass."

He snorted and pushed her lunch of steamed fish to her. "Yes, he is at times, but he is simply confused and angry. Once he figures out what is right, you will see my nephew is not the bad man he tries to paint himself to be."

Katara started at the food, suddenly no longer having an appetite, and she decided to change the subject, "Why are you giving me such good food? I thought prisoners of the Fire Nation were starved and the food they are given is cold or sour. At least, that's how it was when I was at the refinery prison."

"Prince Zuko does not like the reputation that the Fire Nation gets from those rumors and unfortunate truths," Iroh remarked as he stroked his beard. It _always_ goes back to Zuko... "He feels that, even though you are his enemy, you need to be treated with respect. A dead prisoner is no use to him, and we have plenty of our good food to share."

"Is that because this ship is run on a skeleton crew? Does that have to do with Zuko needing to regain his honor?"

That sad, knowing smile returned to Iroh's lips and he nodded. "It is not my story to tell."

With that, he left her alone again.

Dinner was brought by Lieutenant Jee, who was grumbling under his breath about ungrateful princes and storms and the Avatar. When Katara asked him about it, he simply sighed, "We are about to sail into a storm, despite _wise_ advice saying we shouldn't. It should be a bumpy ride for a little bit, so try not to be walking around your cell when we start tipping about."

Her dinner included a small, warm loaf of bread, more brothy soup, and two cups of juice. Before Katara could thank Jee for the additions, he was hustling up the stairs to, in his words, blow off some steam with some of the others.

The storm was harsh enough to keep her from sleeping, and when the seas finally settled around sundown, Zuko came bounding down the stairs with a wild, worried look in his eyes. When he saw her, sitting calmly on her cot, he seemed to visibly relax before he nodded and turned back around to go back up the stairs without a single word.

The following morning, he was a little rough around the edges, but her breakfast was a bowl of fruit and some salted jerky. He lingered as she ate, completely quiet as he sat against the wall and stared her down, until he finally broke the silence with one question.

"Do you think the Avatar will come for you?"

Katara thought about it over and over while trapped alone in the cell, wondering the same thing. The pure curiosity, free of malice or disdain, perhaps even a hint of sadness in his voice, made her shake her head and reply with quiet sincerity, "No. Getting to the North Pole is more important than getting me, if it risks him getting captured, too."

She knew it to be true. As much as Sokka and Aang both loved her, she knew that Sokka wouldn't risk Aang's safety to get her back. There's no telling what Zuko would do to her, knowing this truth, but based on Iroh's confessions and Zuko's overall distance, there was nothing for her to fear except a lifetime of being stuck in this boat, since Zuko would be in the same circumstance.

Zuko stared at her for a long moment, eyes searching with something she could not name, then tore his gaze away and to the wall near the door. "Do you think you're not important to them?"

"I know I am," Katara reasoned, and he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. From this angle, his scar was not visible, and she hated to admit he was a little handsome. "But getting Aang a waterbending master is more important right now. You said it yourself: who knows what he would be capable of when he learns all the elements. It's integral to bringing balance back to the world."

He seemed to consider her words, weighing them in his head for a long moment before he replied, "I hope for the sake of the world, he understands why it would be better to just surrender himself."

His stubbornness made her skin crawl and her blood to boil. In her ire, Katara threw the rest of her loaf of bread at him, and it hit him square in the shoulder. "What would you know of it? All you Fire Nation jerks care about is destroying the rest of the world. You don't care about the sake of the world, but rather the sake of your _father's_ ambitions!"

Zuko was glaring at her now from the corner of his eye, but there was no physical retaliation. His words, however, cut deeper than she expected. "What do you know of him, then? It's better for everyone involved for the Fire Lord to get what he wants."

"Spoken like a true whipped dog," she spat back, causing Zuko to shoot to his feet and huff out more smoke at her.

"You know nothing."

"I know you're a coward, and that you would rather destroy the world than do the right thing."

She was standing now, almost toe to toe with him if the bars had not been in her way.

"If I were you, I would do some heavy thinking before you go spouting off that the Fire Nation is really spreading peace and stability throughout the world. All that's happened is people have died and been imprisoned and separated from their families. The Fire Nation killed my mother, and countless other people for the sake of domination! You are not allowed to speak to me as if I don't understand what this war has done."

Zuko looked as if he had been slapped, and she wish she had. Instead, he stared at her with wide, damned unreadable eyes, and he took a measured step back before picking up the bread she threw at him. He took her hand through the bars, opened her palm and shoved it back into her grasp.

"I cannot speak for the rest of my people, but I know what _I_ am doing is right."

Her fingers squeezed the bread - and his hand, she realized a half-second later. "Is keeping a teenage girl captive while you hunt down a twelve-year-old boy really the right thing, Zuko?"

She didn't wait for his response. Instead, she turned away from him and returned to her cot. The bread was still in her hand, but the warmth still lingering there was from his fingertips. He kept staring at her, waiting for more, until he got tired of waiting and took her dishes back out of the prison hold and up the stairs.

Katara realized much later that night, before she fell asleep, that the unreadable look in his eyes had been _hurt._

* * *

_tbc._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: ATTEMPTED RAPE.

* * *

It was starting to become too boring to not do anything as she waited for _something_ to happen, so Katara started practicing what she remembered from the stolen waterbending scroll. It was rudimentary, at best, trying the moves she had only a few hours to view before Zuko and the pirates found her on the shore, but it was better than nothing.

Rather, it was only a tiny improvement from her struggles on the shore that night because she couldn't actually see the water flailing about now.

After her argument with Zuko the morning before, Shin had brought her lunch and dinner. Both were humble and tasty, but they tasted like dirt on her dry tongue. _What did Zuko know, anyway? He was stubborn and cold-hearted and despicable for wanting to hurt Aang._

_Why did she even care how he felt or what he thought?_

She frowned as she paused in her motions, thinking back at the look on his face after he left yesterday morning and when he had come again to bring her breakfast today.

Zuko neglected to ask or even say anything to her when he did, avoiding her eyes and simply setting down the food before turning on his heels and leaving again. He was distracted - _distraught would have been a better word, but she knew better than to question it -_ so she spent most of the morning in silent contemplation. It was when Iroh came down from lunch that any sounds had filled the cell.

"You are improving much, Lady Katara," he remarked from the entrance of the brig, causing her to jump and spin to face him. His smile was genuine, and she relaxed slightly as he approached and sat in front of the bars separating them. "But you are still out of sync with your moves. There is a tempo to waterbending, smooth and fluid like a ship moving through the water. From one move to the next, there should be no pauses or delays. Uncertainty is the end of a master."

Katara stared at him, her frown deep and confused, and she slowly sat across from him at the bars. "Why are you helping me?"

Iroh pushed her food to her and gave a soft shrug. "I believe in balance in the world, and understanding the other nations and their methods of bending is important to be a better bender and person."

Katara's lips pulled even further down as she inspected the rice he gave her. "If you believe in balance, why are you helping Zuko try to capture the Avatar? Bringing Aang to the Fire Lord will bring the world even further out of balance."

Iroh's responding sigh was tired, too wary for her to fathom on her own, and he simply smiled. "There is more to destiny than what the eye can see. Like the currents in the seas, you are moved by an unseen force and led into the place you are meant to be. Although you cannot see what moves and drives the world with just your eyes, it is still happening out of your control. Perhaps you should consider the things you don't see and let it give you a new view. I am a believer in the natural currents and the others we move on our own."

After she finished her food, he requested she demonstrate the water whip for him. When she messed up her footing, he subtly suggested turning her leading foot outward a little more. It was then, after his quiet direction, that she was able to go through the motions without stopping. She imagined grabbing the water outside the ship with her bending, and snapping it in a perfect whip.

"Very well done," Iroh commented as he stood. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have an irate nephew to calm down."

"Can you tell me why he's doing this?" Katara couldn't stop herself from asking, causing Iroh to pause and stare at her. "I mean, why is Zuko trying to capture Aang? He said he needed Aang to restore his honor. And then mentioned something about how he needed to do it so he could go home. Why can't he just go back to the Fire Nation and leave Aang and the rest of the world alone?"

Iroh's face pulled into something full of grief - for Zuko, for something else, she didn't know - and he turned to her completely. "Prince Zuko is not allowed back into the Fire Nation without the Avatar. He was banished for disgracing the Fire Lord, and as a punishment he was sent out almost three years ago to find the Avatar and bring him to the Fire Nation. Only then will his position of Crown Prince be restored."

Something curled in her gut and she felt like she couldn't breathe. "Three years? But Aang's only been out of the iceberg for a little over a month."

Despite Iroh's silence, his face told her the things that made every other fact about the scarred boy fall into place. It was strange how her mind connected the dots, like Zuko was a constellation made of a million stars and it was only now that the brightest were helping her figure out the shape. His dogged pursuit of Aang, his explosive rage yet quieter and more contemplative side, his stubborn refusal of facts, his headstrong belief that his father will restore his honor despite being on what can only be described as a fruitless quest based on how long Zuko had been on this stupid ship...

The fact that Zuko was a Prince and the only person that could do such a thing to him would be himself... Or the person who sent him on the hopeless task of capturing and returning the Avatar after being _banished_...

Katara's stomach churned even more and she raised her hand to her left cheek as she whispered, "Did... the Fire Lord..."

She trailed off, but based on the fact that her own stricken look was mirrored in Iroh's face, immediately she knew that he understood what she was asking. She trembled more with anticipation and dread. After all, what else could she be asking? He gave her a slow nod, her stomach threatened to up heave itself all over her cell. She clutched at her core, shaking, and tears coming out unbidden at the truth.

Why was she feeling such remorse for someone who was supposed to be her _enemy?_

"But... He..." She blinked and fought her body's reaction to this. It made no sense to her - _why would a father do that to his own son? why would he make Zuko chase the Avatar of all things? why didn't Iroh stop Zuko and help him heal? why did Zuko still try despite the fact that his father burned and disfigured him? why, Why, WHY?!_

When she couldn't speak anymore, Iroh sighed and made his way to the door.

"Please do not tell Zuko you know the truth," he remarked to her. "The Avatar gives him hope, just as he has done for the rest of the world, and anything less than what he believes will shatter him. Your pity will do no help."

Her anger outweighed her grief for a short moment and she moved to the bars. "Would you rather shelter and comfort him with lies or hurt him with the truth? The world will go into ruin if the Fire Nation captures Aang!"

Iroh looked at her as if he knew, and accepted her words, but could do nothing to change anyone's mind. He spent many a year in this war, so he knew. He had to. For someone going on about balance, he was a hypocrite for allowing Zuko to go on as long as he has. He left her then, the silence deafening in the prison, and she went back to practicing the water whip, her vigor renewed, and she continued on until her dinner was delivered.

Zuko came at sundown, his face pensive and solemn. Seeing him now, after Iroh's words, caused a stirring of grief to fill her chest. He pushed her food through the slats, met her eyes, and then his single brow pulled down.

"What?"

Katara shook her head, took the food - rice, again - and ate silently. He watched her, bewilderment clear in his gaze, and he then leaned his shoulder against the bars, casual in the way he held himself but still holding onto a dangerous aura.

"You're improving," he said, having watched the tail-end of her practice. "Were there no other waterbenders in the South Pole to teach you?"

She shook her head again. "The last waterbender had been taken away many years before I was born. Raids came almost all the time to round them up and kill the others that defended them. Other than when you came for Aang, the last raid was when my mother died."

Zuko was quiet for a long moment, letting her eat in pensive silence, yet bitterness sullied the food on her tongue. Then, after she took a long drink of her juice, he said quietly, "I'm sorry. We have that in common."

Katara glanced up at him, confused, and he shrugged. "You seem to think that the Fire Nation only hurts people of the other nations, which is not the case. Perhaps you should consider it."

Her eyes darted to his scar, and he clearly noticed. His good eye twitched and he turned away from her again with a scowl.

"We're stopping for supplies," he then remarked sharply, causing whiplash in the sudden change in conversation. "I will have one of the men bring you your breakfast in the morning."

She swallowed and grinned uneasily, trying to fight her churning stomach. "Going to be too busy to deal with little ol' me?"

He frowned again, and Katara was struck with how _distracted_ he was. Typically, he fought back. But now... He was quiet and his mind was completely elsewhere.

"No. I have to take care of something and it will take all night."

Without another word, he took her empty tray and left her alone once more, her thoughts and confusion the only thing filling the void that he left in his wake.

* * *

Katara woke to the sudden pain of something hitting her face. In the daze and confusion of being awoken so abruptly and _painfully,_ she barely noticed a hulking body above her reeling back again and hitting her square in the eye with his armored knuckle. The warmth of her blood spilled out, blinding her in her left eye, and she screamed in shock as he grabbed her hair at the roots and pulled her out of her cot.

"Little water _slut_ ," he growled into the darkness, "it's time we make use of you."

 _It isn't Zuko,_ her mind cried with _relief_ of all things, then with her good eye she looked up to see a gruff soldier, one of the nonbenders in the crew based on his uniform. His mustache was untamed and frizzy, and his breath was stale and unhealthy, reeking of things she wasn't allowed to consume back at home. His eyes were like rotten wood in this minimal light, and even though she clawed and scratched at the hand clutching her hair, he did not relent or show anything but _excitement_.

"You've been sitting here, wasting our resources, and the men are getting bored and lonely," he demurred as he dragged her to the cell door. "The little Princeling isn't on the ship to protect you, and it's about time we take advantage of it."

She struggled against his iron-like grip, screaming and scratching to stop him from pulling her any further. She could taste blood on her tongue, and her voice was getting hoarse from her shouts. He slapped her again, hissing at her to be quiet, and was jolted to silence when she felt her lip split at the corner. Through her tears and blood, Katara searched for something in her cell that would help her escape his grasp, to beat him away until Zuko or Iroh could come help her.

"I think I might take advantage of you on my own before we share, though," he _purred_ before he knelt behind her and started fumbling with the sash of her dress.

In her panic, she became focused enough to see the sheen of moisture on the walls of her cell, and in her ire, she grabbed that water and whatever of her waste she could control from her chamber pot, and pulled it to her. It wasn't much, but it was enough. She whipped her assailant in the face and away from her, then gathered more of the moisture to push him out of the cell and into the hall. The remaining liquid was iced over the lock - prohibiting him from trying to get in again - and she watched as he stumbled out of the prison hold and up the stairs, cowering from his attempted rape.

Katara was shaking - _still shaking, maybe? -_ and she started to sob. The ice wouldn't hold forever, but she could do her best. It was tinted brown with her blood and the waste, and after refreezing the parts that were weak, she carried herself to her cot and continued to cry.

Her mind couldn't - _refused -_ to process what had just happened, hoping it had just been a bad dream, and she blocked out her hyperventilating and blood-filled eyes.

The sun finally rose about two hours after the attack, and Katara had calmed down enough to wipe most of the blood off her face and attempt to clean the wounds with the edges of her already-ragged and stained dress.

It would be hard to hide this from -

"What-?"

She glanced over to the entrance of the prison hold to see Zuko standing outside her cell. He was staring at the ice covering the broken lock, then to her and back to the ice. She noticed he had a bit of a bruise forming on his forehead - _he got in a fight, too, so it seemed -_ and he looked absolutely exhausted.

And furious.

"What happened here?"

Katara kept silent and avoided his gaze. The sound of the ice melting jarred her blank thoughts, and she spun to see him firebending it away. He was making a face - likely at the stench of warmed up blood, piss, and shit - and once it was away from the lock he pushed the door open. Warily, he approached her with his arms raised in a placating manner, as if she was a skittish animal ready to pounce.

She probably looked that way: bloodied and crying and likely eyes wild with her fear. He stared at her when she flinched, then slowly knelt on the floor in front of her. She turned her face away, afraid of what he was going to say, but fingers from firebending were gently moving her chin back towards him, tilting her face up so their eyes were level.

There was fury there that she had not seen since their run in at Avatar Roku's temple, but it wasn't directed at her. His silence was terrifying, especially after the past hours since the attack, and she held her breath.

"Who did this to you?" It was a pitch louder than a whisper, yet Zuko's words were deafening over her beating heart.

She hadn't the ability to answer.

"I swore that no harm would come to you on this ship," he said calmly - so calm it made her insides flip in the eeriness. "These men are my responsibility, and if one breaks my word it is _my_ honor that is tarnished. Now tell me, _who. did. this_?"

"I..." She's trembling again and she realizes he had yet to remove his fingers from her chin. "I don't know his name. He's one of your nonbenders... He... He came in while I was sleeping a-and he - I whipped him with some water that was on the walls and pushed him out b-but otherwise I d-don't know - "

"Let's get you cleaned up," Zuko cuts in gruffly. He helped her stand and Katara became suddenly aware of how bad she may look: a split lip, a cut on her eyebrow and what was likely a swelling bruise underneath the same eye, blood soaking her clothes and tear tracks cutting through the blood she couldn't clean up. She was probably a mess.

No, she _was_ a mess.

Together they left her cell and Zuko led her up the stairs by her elbow. His grip on her arm was not too firm, but tight enough to keep her in place, like he was holding a bird. When he held her wrists the day he captured her, there was still that firm gentleness that was a perfect representation of the juxtaposing nature that was Prince Zuko. He could be kind yet was mostly harsh, gentle yet firm, loud but quiet... He was an enigma that made her question her entire perception of the people from the Fire Nation. Aside from the one soldier who assaulted her, Zuko's crew had been nothing but kind and fair to her, treating her like a human instead of a piece of meat or dirt.

From the horror stories she had heard back at home and through her travels, she expected to be sold off to a slavery ring or raped repeatedly every night by the crew. Zuko's word protected her from such horrors, but at the same time she couldn't imagine Jee or Shin doing such a thing to her.

These were the comforting thoughts that kept her company as she avoided the thoughts of the man who tried to touch her not a few hours ago.

Despite being morning, there was no one running about the lower levels of the ship. Katara could hear footsteps above, but nothing too telling of what was going on. The ship felt like it was starting to move, and she questioned to herself what had happened in the days she spent in the prison hold.

They were at the top of the stairs now, and he turned a corner to bring her down a narrow hall. He opened a door, then guided her in. Once they were inside, the door was closed and he lit one of the torches on the wall. Once the room was bathed in a warm light, Zuko started guiding her to her towards another door on the wall.

"Where are we?" she finally asked, unable to try to guess anymore.

"My quarters," Zuko replied simply. He opened the second door and lit a torch inside, revealing a private bathing room. "Clean yourself up. I'll get you some spare clothes."

Without another word, he closed the door behind her and left her alone. She avoided her reflection in the mirror that took up the entire wall behind the sink and observed the rest of the bathing room. It wasn't immaculate - like she expected for a prince - but rather sparse with a raised pot attached to the wall, a sink, and a tub for bathing. The levers on the wall all but screamed that they were sources of water, and with careful experimentation she realized it to be the truth. The tub was filled quickly, and from the shelves near the sink she found some simple smelling soaps that she poured in to help wash away the stench of her blood and sweat and agony.

Her clothes were peeled off, tossed to the furthest corner of the room, and she sank into the water. It steamed with heat, and it stung her skin in a grounding way. She let the water wash over her entirely until her head was under the water, and even then she remained there until she strained to breathe. When she breached the surface, she could see the swirls of blood under the soap, the reminders of her assault only barely going away.

Katara trailed her fingers through the water, and a thought entered her mind when the swirls moved with her thoughts. _I could use this water to escape, incapacitate Zuko, and make a run for it._

"Don't get any funny ideas," his voice said from the doorway. It was barely open, enough for her to see his shoulder in the reflection of the mirror, and she noted he was facing away from the door as to not peak. "We're in open water and you have no idea where we are."

She sank in the water until it reached her chin, and she countered with a slight smile, "I would have figured it out."

She saw a flash of his good eye in the mirror, as well as the amused smile on his lips. "I'm sure."

He closed the door again, and she noticed a stack of clothes had been deposited on the counter next to the sink and her soiled clothes had been taken out. She wondered how long she had been under the water for him to be able to do that without gaining any notice from her.

She frowned deeply, so much that the cut on her eyebrow stung. She cupped it with a hiss, and the water that had coated her hands made it sting a little bit more. Katara pressed her palm to it to dull the pain, but all that it did was make it sting just a bit more. In order to calm the pain, Katara took a deep breath to steady and soothe herself, and when the throbbing subsided, she opened her eyes to see a faint glow filling the room. She gasped and her hands - which were the _source_ of the glowing - splashed into the water, causing the glow to follow before disappearing entirely. She expected another sting with the sudden exposure of air to her wound, but nothing came. Her fingers came out of the water and she prodded at the skin on her brow, only to find it smooth and blemish free as it had been before the assault.

With a racing heart she climbed out of the tub and moved to the mirror, seeing it become confirmed. Her throat was tight as she observed the lack of damage. Her eye was bruised and her lip split, but the cut on her brow was gone.

Katara couldn't understand what had happened, or how, but she knew it had to do with the water. Quickly, she pulled more water out of the tub with her bending and brought it to her split lip, and with a deep breath a glow started to fill the room once more and the pain subsided completely. The water fell and she trailed her fingers over her lip, finding it also to be completely healed.

_Healed..._

The bruise didn't budge when she tried this new trick on it, but knowing that the split lip and eyebrow had been taken care of was a relief. She stepped back into the tub with renewed vigor, washed off the last of the blood, scrubbing her skin raw with the soaps, and soon left the tub and bent the water off her body and down the drain.

The clothes Zuko left were red - _figures -_ and a little big on her body. She tied the belt of the utilitarian pants so they wouldn't fall off her hips, and the shirt almost fell off her shoulders because the collar was too wide for her narrow frame.

 _It's better than nothing_ , she thought aimlessly as she tied her hair in a loose bun.

With a final look at her less-disheveled appearance and a nod, Katara stepped back into Zuko's quarters. He was changed out of his armor, completely shirtless and wearing pants not dissimilar to hers. He was moving the blankets on his bed and she noticed there was a second futon on the floor.

She looked up from the futon and saw he was staring at her, or rather the lack of cuts on her face, and she shrugged before murmuring, "It looks like my waterbending can heal... It couldn't make the bruise go away, though."

Zuko's eyes narrowed slightly, deep in thought and something Katara could only pin as veiled envy, and he broke his heavy stare to continue moving the blankets on his bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Until I can punish the man that hurt you," he started, as if he knew she was going to ask, "I cannot ensure your safety in the prison hold, especially since the lock was broken. I'll keep an eye on you here for the time being. Though I don't want you to think you're no longer my prisoner."

"That's..." Katara trailed off and awkwardly rubbed her arm when she registered the implications of another bed. "Isn't it just as dishonorable to have a woman in your room than to let her be touched in your care?"

Zuko sighed and rolled his eyes. "We won't be sharing a bed, and I'm just going to be sleeping. So you can read some of my tomes or play pai sho, or you can sleep, as long as you stay quiet. I don't care. Regardless, _I_ am going to bed."

"Did you pull an all-nighter, or something?" Katara taunted with a grin, unable to stop herself despite what had transpired before. It felt easier to mask the way her chest hadn't loosened up since. She felt... comfort in Zuko's presence at the moment. The events of before didn't seem to press down her as heavily when he was here. It was easier to gibe him than remember the way that man's fingers curled in her hair and made to use her body.

Zuko was still staring her down, unimpressed, and sighed again, "Or something. We've been ordered to stay put, but we need to get out of the port, so I need you to stay here and don't do anything funny that could raise suspicion."

His words unsettled her a bit. Ordered to stay put? What was going on that she was missing while in her cell? "I thought someone as _honorable_ as you would be above going against orders. Who would have thought you'd be breaking rules, Zuko?"

Zuko cast his eyes to the side - _ashamed, maybe? Or perhaps guilty of something_ \- and he muttered, "It doesn't matter why. We are leaving this port and getting out of the area as quickly as we can. Get some rest. Uncle will probably want to have lunch in a few hours."

He slipped into the bathing room, clearly flustered about something, leaving Katara confused and alone. Curious, she walked to the door that led to the hall and jiggled the handle. He didn't even lock the door! For a captor, he didn't seem like he cared too much about her trying to escape. Confused, Katara turned back to the room and looked at Zuko's sparse belongings. There was a single tatami mat in the center of the room to cover the cold metal floor, plus an altar against the wall that held unlit candles. On the wall opposite of the door to the hall were swords hung on the wall in a decorative manner, and beneath it was the cot he set up for her. His bed was on the wall shared with the bathroom door, but otherwise the room was empty and impersonal.

As if he didn't plan on staying long.

She frowned and padded over to the extra futon, then laid herself down. It was softer than the one in her cot, and after days of sleeping on the floor it was a comfort she didn't question. The room was warmer than the brig, and after the past few hours of panic and fear, Katara was surprised to find herself falling asleep almost immediately.

She didn't acknowledge the fact she felt _safe_ in Zuko's room despite the fact that the door wasn't locked.

* * *

_tbc._


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: uhh...
> 
> I have a bad tendency to not update when there's only one chapter left, as shown by a lot of my other works on here... But hey I finished this one! That counts, right? As an apology, I made this extra long and full of angst, yearning, and fun.
> 
> Honestly I have had this finished for like a month but I have VERY BAD LUCK when it comes to updating my stories because it ALWAYS happens during Zutara Week and gets lost in the hullabaloo, so here we are.

Katara woke to a smell that was spicy and sweet, and the sound of hushed voices. She opened her eyes, had to remind herself after a short panic attack that she was in _Zuko's_ quarters after she had been attacked earlier that morning, and groggily rubbed her eyes. Zuko was lingering in his doorway, holding two bento boxes stacked on top of each other in one hand and the other holding the door slightly closed. His shoulders were relaxed and covered with a robe that rose high up his neck, and from the sound of the other voice is was indeed Iroh bringing them lunch. Or maybe dinner. She had no clue how long she slept.

Zuko closed the door and turned on his heel, his eyes landing on her immediately and his impassive expression did not change. "Come eat."

Without waiting for her response, he made his way to the low table against the opposite wall and set down the two boxes. He fell in an elegant kneel, quickly digging into his food. Katara rose from the bed, smoothing her hair away from her face in attempt to ignore the sharp pang of hunger in her stomach and not make it too obvious when she made her way over. As she sat opposite of the weirdly quiet prince, she noticed how simple yet _amazing_ the noodles and glazed meat looked and quickly started to eat just like him.

After a few moments of silence, Zuko set down his chopsticks and leveled his stare on her again. She paused, food hanging right in front of her open mouth, and she waited. Clearly, he wanted to say _something_ or he would not have stopped when he still had food in his box.

"Uncle is going to find out who broke into your cell," Zuko remarked, causing her to lower her bite. "I will need you to identify him, but Iroh is investigating first so we don't have to bring out the whole crew and have you look at them one by one. That will be a waste of everyone's time."

She swallowed against the sudden thickness in her throat and set down her food entirely, her appetite faltering. "I... Okay... I suppose I _will_ need to."

When she looked away, she almost missed the dark look that passed Zuko's face.

"Unless one of his fellows can prove with one hundred percent certainty that a particular soldier is the culprit, your knowledge of his face will seal his fate."

Her stomach churned at the idea of seeing the man again, to see what kind of disgusting person would willingly try to sully someone like her. It made her question all the things she has started to question in Zuko's _"hospitality."_ While Jee, Shin, Iroh, and even Zuko at times were courteous and kind, there were people like the soldier that morning that would go against every positive thing she had learned about the people of Fire.

It made her second guess every bit of courtesy they had extended her way, and she mentally kicked herself for even letting her guard down in the first place.

Katara pushed her bento box away and kept her eyes averted from her captor. "And after he's identified? I assume I will be going back to my cell?"

Zuko made a humored snort and replied, "The lock mechanism was shattered. There's no way you're going to be able to stay in there until I get a blacksmith to make an entirely new door. And since we just left port, that probably won't happen for a while."

"So then I'm to stay in here?" She turned to him and frowned, meeting his eyes as he shrugged and took another bite of his food.

He swallowed and nodded before taking a drink. "For someone who has likely never stepped foot outside of your tribe before travelling with the Avatar, escaping here would be worse than staying. I'm not too worried about the chances."

"Is that why you didn't lock the door last night?"

"That and I know you wouldn't be able to find your way off this ship, let alone out of the hallway."

She scowled and bent the rest of his drink into his face. "You forget we're on the ocean and I know my directions well enough to find land."

Zuko slowly wiped the liquid down with his palm, his eyes like fire, and he replied slowly, "And then what? Do you have a map of the Earth Kingdom tucked somewhere I can't see and you are going to just whip it out whenever you get to what you believe to be safety? Do you know _exactly_ where your friends are and have the capabilities of finding them before I find you? Do you trust the people of the Earth Kingdom to be accommodating and trustworthy to not hurt you? Trust me, Katara, you're safer here than anywhere else."

She knew a dark look crossed her face when she stated, "I'd be safer with Aang and Sokka."

His lone brow arched. "Constantly chased by the Fire Nation? Starving, likely, because while on the run none of you have means of getting money or knowledge of Earth Kingdom foliage to know what you can or cannot eat in the wild. The people of the Earth Kingdom, while strong and proud, don't have a lot to spare in terms of money. It all goes to their lavish capitol and filling the pockets of their generals."

"You act as if you have no part in that!" she snapped, causing the liquid in her cup to jump. "You're just as complicit in the suffering as the other people of the Fire Nation are, so you have no place to criticize what the people of the Earth Kingdom do to get by!"

"I have nothing to do with how the Earth Kingdom manages its money."

"You aid in it by chasing after Aang and terrorizing the Earth Kingdom," she countered. "If there was no war, the people of the Earth Kingdom would likely not be suffering as much as they do! But instead they have to keep fighting, keep dying, and keep struggling because the Fire Nation doesn't know when to stop!"

Zuko, likely used to her outbursts by now, merely scowled and tapped his fingers on the table as he raised his voice, "And yet people like you still fight when surrendering would be best for the whole world."

She sat back, astonished, and shook her head. "You really are brainwashed, aren't you? You spout off the belief that the Fire Nation is better than everyone else, but all you do is cause suffering. Aang has to deal with nothing but suffering because of the deeds of the Fire Nation. I don't care if it's some stupid, pointless mission that your stupid, terrible excuse of a father -"

Zuko sputtered and his face started to go a little red, but she didn't stop, " -gave you, but the world will only know balance and peace if the Fire Nation just stops!"

It was then she noticed two things: the drink she had turned to ice, and Zuko's hands were smoking where they gripped the table. She leveled her eyes on him, unafraid, and she waited.

Without another word, Zuko stood - slowly, with his eyes staring down at her - and he snatched the last of her food. He left her then, all alone in the heavy silence of his empty room, and Katara did her best not to cry in frustration.

* * *

Zuko returned late, so late she was falling asleep on her cot after having a good cry. She was angry, she was frustrated. She was lonely. Despite being surrounded by people and constantly visited by her now-roommate, Katara was completely isolated. These people were her enemies, determined to capture her friend and the only hope for peace and balance in the world, and she was not _their_ friend. No matter how friendly some of them were to her, they were still her enemy.

Such as the boy in the room.

She was facing the door, so she knew it was him. She could not sleep with her back to the door, not when she knew Zuko wasn't locking it. He walked past her, straight to the bathing room, and she looked up to see the torch get lit and for him to start running some water. It sounded like it was in the basin under the mirror, not the bathing tub, and since he left the door mostly open, Katara could see Zuko strip off his tunic and pull his hair out of the weird ponytail and into something more like a topknot. His hands worked in the basin for a moment, before he lifted them to his head.

_Oh._

A frothy mixture was now coating the part of his head she could see, and it was being dragged away by a blade.

_He's shaving his head..._

She knew he had to do it. After all, no one's hair grew out like that naturally. She felt like she may have been intruding at that point, especially when she saw him gaze at his reflection for a moment longer than normal. She rolled over, closed her eyes, and waited.

After a minute more, Zuko came out and sat on his bed.

"I know you're awake."

"And?"

"I have some questions for you."

She rolled back over and glared at him, but said nothing. Zuko, unfazed by her ire and still shirtless, began his interrogation. For about an hour, he fruitlessly asked her questions about her home, of her father, of the Avatar while surprisingly not losing his patience. He already knew where Aang was headed - if he wasn't already there - so he asked about Aang's progress, of his skills as an airbender.

"You've fought against him," Katara remarked, answering for the first time since he started his questions. "There's a reason he already has his tattoos."

Zuko scowled and stood. After making his way over to his shelf of tomes and scrolls, he pulled a tome out and flipped through its contents. "He's not a master of the elements yet. He will need water, then earth, then fire. And I doubt anyone will teach him that last one."

Katara bit her tongue at that. As much as she didn't want to voice it, but before she knocked sense into herself regarding Zuko's behavior, she had a fleeting, irrational thought of possibly recruiting _Zuko_ to be Aang's firebending teacher. After all, based on Iroh's testimony and Katara's own sparing interactions with him, there's something deep down in the Fire Prince that would finally listen to reason and help bring back balance to the world, going against his father and everything he had been taught up until that point. But she would have to undo the sixteen years of brainwashing that got him to this point for him to even consider it.

Not that she would outright mention that thought to either Fire Nation royals.

Because they were just that: Royals. Based on Zuko's dogged pursuit of Aang and Iroh's support of his endeavor told Katara any hint of going against the Fire Lord would be met with laughter and possibly even punishment.

He stared at her, waiting for her to say something, but she stayed silent. He sighed, closed the book, and put it back on the shelf. He then turned and stared her down, his frown deep and marring his handsome face.

Not that she'd admit that aloud.

It especially didn't help that he was still not wearing a shirt and he had a very appealing chest and arm muscles. She needed to focus.

"You're not giving anything away that I don't already know," he remarked with that haughty voice of his, yet his face did not betray any sort of this arrogance. "It would be best to just confirm what we've found."

"I wouldn't know anything. You captured me a while ago. For all I know, they completely abandoned any hope of finding a waterbending master and Aang's already on earthbending."

"The sky bison was spotted over a colony today a little northeast of here. No one knows where they went from there, but they are still heading north based on my reports."

He knelt down in front of her and his gaze was hard and empty. "I will capture him, and bring him to the Fire Nation. You're not delaying the inevitable."

Tears prickled in her eyes. She sat up, now nose to nose with him, and snapped, "But why? For some stupid quest given to you by the Fire Lord because you messed up? Zuko, open your eyes and see that he did it to send you away, and he never expected you to succeed. It was an excuse to hurt you and cast you aside! Aang has only been out of the iceberg for a month, and you've been looking for him for years!"

Zuko's eyes were open - so wide in fact that the gold seemed swallowed in the whites. And in the quietest voice she ever heard from him, he asked, "How did you know about that?"

Her heart sank at the horror in his gaze, and at her own realization that she revealed what Iroh asked her not to acknowledge in front of the Prince. "It doesn't matter-"

"Of course it fucking matters," he snapped as he shot up to his feet and stomped over to the dragon altar on the wall, his breathing heavy and the flames in the torches starting to burn a little brighter. "How. Do. You. Know?"

"I..." she couldn't answer. Either she lies and says she heard it from one of the soldiers, and risk them getting punished for it. Or she tell the truth and say she spoke with Iroh, but that would risk the older man being on the wrong side of Zuko's wrath. From what Iroh hinted at, no one on the ship aside from him knew the truth of Zuko's banishment, so either way he would be a target of Zuko's rage.

Without waiting for an answer, Zuko left the room in a flurry of anger and confusion. The door was slammed behind him and Katara was left alone in the dark. He had burned the torches on the wall to nothing and she hadn't even noticed.

* * *

Zuko did not return this time. Katara fell asleep waiting for him for an unknown amount of time, and woke in the morning to Iroh coming into the room with a tray of food. Having not finished her lunch or even eaten dinner - she completely forgot - she inhaled her food and chugged her water like she hadn't eaten in days as opposed to hours. Iroh was courteous to not speak while she ate, and instead waited until she was done before saying a word to her.

"I spoke with my nephew last night."

Katara feigned indifference, despite the way her stomach threatened to empty her breakfast. Instead, she took another drink of her water. "Oh?"

"He's quite upset," Iroh remarked in a casual tone. "Somehow, you revealed to him that you know the terms of his banishment, and the unlikeliness of his task being fulfilled."

She set down her cup and met his somber eyes, but said nothing.

"He is convinced he can still go back home with honor, after following his father's request. Do you think he has a chance?"

Katara shook her head and replied, "Aang has too many allies that would allow for that to happen. The world needs him to end this war."

"To Zuko, that doesn't matter."

"It should."

"And do you think you can convince a stubborn teenage boy to change his mind once he is set on doing something?"

Katara smirked. "You clearly haven't met my brother."

Iroh's wry grin matched hers. "Squabbles over seal jerky may not be the same as disobeying a father and monarch, one whom Zuko's vies for his attention and love more than anything in his whole life."

Her face fell and she looked away. Before she could reply, there were three sharp raps on the door. Iroh smiled and said, "Ah. They're ready for us. Come along, dear."

"Who's ready for us?" she asked as Iroh rose and gestured for her to follow. She walked behind him as he went to the door to Zuko's room and out into the hallway. Waiting there was Lieutenant Jee with a stony look on his face. She met his eyes and his gaze went to the bruise still under her left eye, and his lips pulled into a tight line. Without another word, he turned on his heels and Iroh followed suit, but not before he offered her his elbow. She took it reluctantly, not sure what was happening, at least not until they went down a flight of stairs and walked out on the deck.

It was the first time she was out of the bowels of the ship in what felt like ages, and it was a welcome relief to have the smell of the ocean fill her nostrils. The sun was smothered by thick clouds, but it was light enough for Katara to see a line of men at the bow of the ship, with Zuko standing in front of them. Her heart was beating strangely in her throat, and her stomach was quickening with more and more anxiety as they got closer and closer to the men lined up.

That was when she saw him.

His gaze was on Zuko, but she would recognize him anywhere: the unkempt mustache, the rotten brown color of his eyes, his height and build, even the way he _stood_ told Katara _exactly_ who he was and why she was here.

Zuko turned as soon as Jee reached his side, and Katara barely noticed. The man, she saw, had realized she was there too and a panicked look crossed his squashed face. The same face that had a welt on the cheek from her water whip the day before.

She didn't even have to say anything. Zuko watched her for a minute, then looked to the lined-up soldiers, hawk-like eyes locking on the man.

"Him?"

Katara nodded, and she finally tore her gaze away from her attacker to see Zuko turn to her again and she met his eyes. There was cold fury there, but not towards her, and he gave her a short, reassuring nod, before he looked back to Iroh.

"Take her to your quarters. And keep your window open. She looks like she needs some fresh air."

"Of course, Prince Zuko," Iroh replied in quiet agreement, and he started to steer Katara away from the men and back into the ship. She looked over her shoulder one last time to see Zuko watching her leave, his gaze still hard, before he finally turned towards the man that tried to ruin her.

Once the door was closed behind them, Katara let out a shaky breath. Iroh patted her hand, murmuring something about tea and led her up the stairs once more and into a room completely opposite of Zuko's. The walls were decorated with knick-knacks from all four nations, and a plant sat in the corner next to a low table with a beautiful tea set on top. Iroh ushered her to sit, then started making a pot of tea.

He hummed as he worked, soothing her into a more relaxed state. One that felt like an out-of-body trance where time nor thoughts existed, and before she knew it, there was a small cup of tea in front of her.

"Here, it will calm you. Drink up," Iroh ordered softly, and she obeyed without a second thought. It was light and fragrant, and just like Iroh promised she was instantly soothed by it. They sat in the silence, each savoring their cup of tea, until there was a knock on the door. Jee came in then, with a scroll and a pen, and handed them both to the General before whispering something into Iroh's ear. Iroh chuckled for a moment before he nodded towards Jee, who stood and waited. He then read the contents of the scroll, hummed with approval as he nodded, and then signed the bottom of the page. Katara peeked over to see Zuko's name signed at the bottom of the page, as well.

Iroh then handed it to Jee, who bowed before leaving the room and closing the door quietly behind him.

Katara finished her cup and before she even set it down, Iroh was filling up the cup once more.

"I am sure you are wondering what is going to happen to that man," Iroh remarked as he finished pouring. Katara met his eyes, still silent, and he simply smiled. "I assure you, Prince Zuko has both his and your honor to consider when it comes to this man's punishment."

She found her voice, though small, and asked, "What's going to happen to him?"

"Aside from what Zuko already did?" Iroh quipped with a quirk of his lips.

Katara looked at him, bewildered, and he continued, "Sergeant Yong, the soldier that assaulted you, has been punished according to Fire Nation custom. He was offered the chance to duel for his own honor, accepted Prince Zuko's challenge, and lost, not that he had a chance in the first place. He has been dismissed from service on this ship, with a direct order from me to never speak of his dismissal and the circumstances surrounding it, lest the knowledge of him going against the orders of both myself and Prince Zuko cause him more dishonor. While Prince Zuko may be banished, he still is the Prince and has a place in the line of succession within the Fire Nation."

She frowned at her tea. "And what was that thing you signed?"

Iroh took a drink, humming in acknowledgement, and then replied, "Prince Zuko has to report to the Admiral in the area of the terms of Yong's dismissal, should the former Sergeant try to go into service on another ship. He had to embellish a little bit and hide the truth, but with my signature on the page it's unlikely the Admiral in question will snoop into the circumstances."

Something sickly twisted in her gut and she met Iroh's gaze.

"Zhao is an admiral now," he explained with a grave tone. "It is certain that if he learned you were on this ship he would try to take you as leverage against the Avatar. Zuko knows your safety would be at risk if you were to leave this ship, so we are doing our best to mask your presence here."

That twist knotted even more and Katara swallowed. "And if Zhao found out I was here?"

Iroh met her eyes and she didn't need him to say anything more. She heard the rumors - what she had feared when she initially got on Zuko's ship - and she knew someone like Zhao would follow through with the reputation of his Nation.

* * *

That night, after Katara was escorted back to his quarters, Zuko brought them a dinner of steamed fish and rice, not making mention at all of Yong or the duel. He was silent the whole meal - more like introspective - and afterwards, right as he took their plates to the hall and Katara was about to ask him what had happened, Zuko ordered her to be quiet as he meditated.

She sat in her bed, nonplussed yet mesmerized, as he faced the dragon altar and controlled the flames of the candles with nothing more than his steady breathing. By the time he was done, she had been lulled to sleep by the thrumming and steady flicker of the fire.

The next few days passed the same way: Zuko was already out of the room by the time she woke up and her breakfast was waiting for her on the table. She would eat in silence, then peruse the collection of books and scrolls on the shelf until Zuko returned around lunch time. He was always sweaty from his training, and would go bathe before lunch was brought to them. They would eat together, then he would leave again and she would be alone once more. Occasionally, Iroh would visit but most of her time was spent in contemplative silence.

One night, she was reading a Fire Nation drama called _Love Amongst the Dragons,_ and Zuko came in later than usual. He paused, saw what she was reading, then softened just enough to catch her full attention.

"A favorite of yours?" she asked with a smile. "It's a good story."

With a thick voice, he replied, "It was my mother's favorite. She would take us to see the play every year."

Her fingers itched to clutch at the necklace she knew he still had. His eyes darted to the motion and he frowned, but the conversation was dropped after that. She slept soundly that night, facing his bed as he slept a little less peacefully.

Around a week or so after she started staying in Zuko's quarters, she was told the room was going to be cleaned and her bed was going to be taken to be shaken out. Zuko recommended she bathe during the process, just so she wasn't waiting around for the bed to be returned. The other option was participating in music night with Iroh and she honestly wasn't feeling singing songs or dancing when she was so close to the Northern Water Tribe and her family but yet still so far away.

So she went to the bathing room, her own clothes waiting on the sink for her to climb back into. The water was running when she heard Zuko plop himself down on his bed and sigh heavily, probably relaxing for the first time in ages. She couldn't help but smile and the content noise he made and wondered what he would do for fun if he wasn't so bent on capturing Aang.

She banished the thought and stripped before sinking into the water.

Katara reveled in the bath; warm water, relaxing scents, and quiet were hard to come by since she joined Aang in his journey. She supposed this was the only plus side of being captured by Zuko: warm baths and warm food. Not that she particularly _liked_ it, but it was better than the prospect of eating nuts and not bathing for weeks at a time.

On the other side of the bathing room, there was a knock on Zuko's door. Katara perked up from where she had been relaxing in the bathtub and calmed the sloshing of the water with her bending, intent on listening in on what was being said. Zuko was careful about letting Aang's whereabouts being mentioned around her, lest she get some sort of boost of ambition to escape and find them, so for her to be able to possibly listen in on what would be a private conversation excited her a little bit. With all this water, she could easily overpower the prince long enough to escape and get to safety. They were at port, she could tell by how the ship rocked, and it would only take her finding a room with a window that she could get out and get to the Northern Water Tribe.

"For the last time, I'm not playing the tsungi horn!"

She giggled a little to herself, knowing Iroh had practically _begged_ Zuko to play tonight. Instead, the prince used the excuse of supervising her and Iroh left with a twinkle in his eyes and two blushing teens.

"No," replied the aforementioned man in a tone that was filled with unease. Immediately, Katara sank into the water and did her best not to move so she could hear _everything._ "It's about our plans... There's a bit of a problem."

Loud footsteps echoed off the steel floors and a horribly familiar voice filled the once-quiet space of Zuko's room. "I'm taking your crew."

Zuko must have been just as shocked as Katara when he heard Zhao's voice, because his near-shout was clear to her in the bathing room. "What?!"

Zhao was arrogant and sure when he stated, "I've recruited them for a little expedition to the North Pole."

Katara's heart grew cold. _No, Aang!_

The water in the tub was starting to get cold, too.

"Uncle, is that true?"

"I'm afraid so. He's taking everyone," Iroh started to sound like he was crying, "even the cook!"

"Sorry you won't be there to watch me capture the Avatar," Zhao then said, his voice sharp and biting. "But I can't have you getting in my way again."

Katara had to stop herself from leaping out of the tub and attacking the Fire Nation men through the door. How dare he try to hurt Aang?! And _her_ people?! Zhao deserved a cruel fate for all the things he had done as a soldier for the Fire Nation, and she was tempted to be the one to deal the final blow.

She just needed to be a better bender and that couldn't happen on Zuko's ship.

There was silence for a moment, before Zhao spoke up again, "I didn't know you were skilled with broadswords, Prince Zuko."

_What? Where did that come from? Was he talking about the old swords on the wall?_

"I'm not," Zuko denied in that empty, controlled voice she had grown to know when he was hiding something. "They're antiques. Just decorative."

"Have you heard of the Blue Spirit, General Iroh?" Zhao asked in a smooth, calm voice. It was not natural. _What the heck is the Blue Spirit?!_

Iroh replied just as smoothly, "Just rumors. I don't think he is real."

"He's real, all right," Zhao paused and his voice got quieter as Katara assumed he was walking towards the door to the hall. "He's a criminal, and an enemy of the Fire Nation. But I have a feeling justice will catch up with him soon."

_What did that even mean? What did that have to do with Zuko and the broadswords on the wall?!_

"General Iroh," Zhao added on, "the offer to join my mission still stands ... if you change your mind."

Silence stretched on for a long moment before Katara heard Zuko say quietly to Iroh, "Leave. Please."

The tacked on _please_ must have convinced Iroh, because she heard him murmur something intelligible to Zuko before the door to the hall was closed. A long moment passed, and the door to the bathing room was opening. Katara ducked a little more into the water to hide herself, but Zuko came into the room with his head hung and his arms folded. He sat against the sink, left profile to her and eyes still looking at the floor.

She waited.

"Zhao is taking my crew," he finally said after a long moment, his voice quiet and empty.

"I heard," she said in an equally quiet voice.

"I can no longer travel on this ship."

"I'm sure you could figure it out," she offered. "You're awfully persistent."

That earned her a quirk of his lips, and he turned his gaze to her. "The Avatar and your brother are already in the North Pole."

Katara ached to reach to him - _why, she didn't know -_ but instead she sat up just enough in the tub so he could see her face in its entirely, to see her plea and her desperation. This was it, likely her last chance, and she had to take it.

"Zuko..." She trailed off and he waited, and in the back of her mind she could see that he knew where she was going and was _wishing_ she wouldn't ask what she was about to as, "Please... just let me go. I can get to the North Pole on my own from here. There's no reason for you to keep me here if you have no crew and no prospects. All it's going to do is waste the little resources you and Iroh have left. Please. It would be better for everyone."

Zuko stared at her, long and searching, and Katara realized in that moment that she wasn't the only lonely one on this ship. Despite the fact that he basically had full command of the crew and the soldiers, he was still a teenager, just like her. While she was trapped by _him,_ he was trapped by a hopeless quest that never had an end. They had more in common than dead mothers and interest in books and food.

He sighed and looked away from her, eyes drawn to the wall. "I can get you some money and supplies to last you until you can get to your brother and the Avatar... After that, you're on your own."

The urge to hug him of all things enveloped her, but the sudden thought that she was still naked stopped her halfway from climbing out of the tub. Unfortunately, he may have seen more than she bargained for and his unblemished cheek turned a bright red before he stood abruptly and spun to face the door.

"I-I'll start gathering some stuff for you. Just... g-get dressed and we'll go from there."

Katara shoved her own embarrassment away while she stopped herself from laughing as he shuffled out of the room, stumbled in the doorway, and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

After Katara dried and calmed herself, she met Zuko in his room. He was already pulling some items into a small bag, one that she could hoist onto her back and carry for long distances. Or at least, far enough for her to find a port that can ferry her to the Northern Water Tribe. When he pulled _Love Amongst the Dragons_ from the shelf, she stopped him with a gentle hand on his. The warmth of his skin hit her hard, and she momentarily forgot why she had even reached out to him in the first place. He waited, staring at her with a carefully blank face, and she quickly pulled him into a hug.

He was clearly surprised, not expecting _that_ at all, and she pulled away before she could push her. Instead, she smiled.

"Keep the book."

He shook his head, despondent suddenly, and placed it in her bag. "I have no use for it. You seemed to enjoy it, so let it keep you company on your journey ahead of you."

The conversation ended there, when Iroh tapped on the door and let himself back in. He smiled at her warmly, then looked to Zuko with less warmth and more caution. "The crew will be leaving to join Zhao's forces tomorrow. I would suggest we wait to escort Lady Katara until after they are gone, to ensure Zhao does not intercept her."

Without looking up from her bag, Zuko replied, "That's why _you'll_ be taking her into town, Uncle. Tomorrow."

"Of course." Iroh turned to Katara and smiled. "I am so glad to see you talked some sense into my nephew. Clearly, he's just tired."

"Yes," Zuko started with a voice so laced with irritation Katara could swear she could see sparks coming off his tongue. "Tired of your meddling, Uncle. Goodnight."

Katara giggled as Iroh winked at her and closed the door behind him, and as soon as it was, Zuko's shoulders sagged and he sighed. He met her eyes, searching for something, so Katara felt it was a good time as any to ask what had been plaguing her mind since he left the bathing room.

"Why?"

His eyebrow shot up. "Why what?"

"You know what I'm asking," she pressed. "Why are you letting me go now? You had so many opportunities once you realized that I didn't have any valuable information for you, so why didn't you?"

"I already told you." His voice was rough with something she couldn't pinpoint. "It was safer for you here than letting you go out in the wilderness with no assistance."

"And why do you care so much?" she found herself asking without thought. "What does the safety of a Water Tribe woman mean to _you,_ the Crown Prince of an opposing nation?"

He kept staring, eyes wide and bright and endless in their depth to his soul. She saw so much, but not enough at the same time. She didn't want honor as the answer, or some sick need to protect her. She needed truth, something she could believe that would tell her that her heart was in the right place with the thoughts of bringing him to Aang as a firebending teacher, that this boy had good in him that could undo the wrongs of the past, and overcome the trauma that made him who he was.

She knew, but she needed him to reaffirm her faith and intuition.

"I..." He swallowed and looked back at the bag. For a long moment, she waited. Zuko was never one to be indecisive, not that she had seen, and she knew he would give her a clear answer any-

"I knew that you would be safer," he repeated.

"Try again."

Zuko's eyes snapped to hers and he frowned. "What do you want me to say? That I kept you around to _prove_ something? To you, or to me, or even to Uncle that I could treat an enemy with civility? Or that I did it because I felt like you would have been murdered on that beach by those pirates? Or because I felt some sort of _need_ to protect you because you're just so keen to get into trouble? Is that what you want to hear?"

Katara shook her head.

"Then why do you think I did it?"

Without hesitating, Katara said, "Because, despite what you think, you're a good person with a lot of honor. You think bringing Aang to the Fire Lord will restore your honor? You already have shown so much of your honor towards me and to your men than I could even imagine. You have no honor to _restore_ because you had it all along. The Fire Lord is the one who lacks honor for hurting his son and casting him aside for doing the right thing. Yes, you kept me here for information but never did _you_ hurt me or make me feel unsafe. In fact, you made me feel more secure than I could ever imagine by protecting me and treating me with civility and respect."

Zuko had started blushing at what she realized belatedly was praise, and he ducked his head bashfully as he mumbled, "It's also because you get in a lot of trouble."

She couldn't stop her laughter, "And I get in a lot of trouble, apparently. But you've stopped even worse trouble from happening to me twice now."

He met her eyes again and his smile was small, but there nonetheless. This may be the first time she had _truly_ seen him smile, and it made her stomach flutter in a strange way. Instead of blabbering on even more, Katara patted his hand and started putting the items on the table into her bag. The silence between them was strangely comfortable, and a small, fleeting thought entered her head making her wonder if she should stay behind with him.

Regardless, she realized that this was the first time he hadn't argued with her about his honor or what he perceived as his lack thereof.

* * *

Katara slept soundly and woke alone. Zuko had been up scratching something on a scroll for most of the night and it helped her drift to sleep, but she had no idea when - or if - he stopped and when he left the room. The crew was to leave that day, and after the coast was clear she was going to go with Iroh to the closest port town and catch a ferry up to the North Pole. According to Iroh, occasionally a trader from the North Pole would come in, or other traders would go there, and she would be able to find at least one person that would be willing to help.

She pulled herself out of the bed, stretched, and then went to the bathroom to freshen up. Iroh was in the room when she finished, smiling at her in a cryptic way that she had seen him smile at Zuko a time or two.

"Come, let's go get breakfast together."

Her eyebrow arched. "Where?"

"My quarters," Iroh supplied. "I'm sure you'd like the view from there."

They walked in silence to Iroh's quarters down the hall. The sound of footsteps was loud in the hall, and Katara assumed it was the men getting ready to disembark with Zhao's fleet. She turned to Iroh and asked, "Is Zhao taking the ship, as well?"

"This ship belongs to Zuko, specifically," Iroh responded as they entered his room. "Zhao can take the men, as they are conscripted under the Fire Nation Navy and by extension under his command. But the ship is a personal vessel for Prince Zuko, therefore he keeps it in his possession. We will just stay here, learn how to operate it on our own, or hire a new, non-military crew."

He led her to sit down and he smiled warmly as he brought a pot of tea and cups to the table. "Either way, I'm sure both Zuko and I needed a break and I know of a wonderful spa resort nearby that will certainly get rid of all our aches and pains."

She returned his smile and accepted the cup of tea he had already poured for her.

"The crew will be leaving a little after dinner time," Iroh started. "That gives us time to finish gathering what we can for you, and then once they have left you and I can slip into the town and find you a ferry north."

Katara set down her cup and frowned. "Do you think Zhao will be successful in attacking the North Pole?"

Iroh stroked his beard in thought, his expression changing to something contemplative and far away. "Perhaps. By the time he amasses a large enough armada, it will likely be the full moon. Waterbenders are always their strongest at night, and especially when the moon is high in the sky. He would be foolish to not have a strong enough force to take down the defenses of the North's impregnable wall and their waterbenders in a day."

"I've always noticed my waterbending is stronger at night..." Katara mused, causing Iroh to smile. "I didn't really start noticing it until I began practicing and honing my skills."

"Waterbenders rise the moon, just like firebenders rise the sun."

Katara turned around to see Zuko standing in the doorway, arms crossed and a guarded look on his face. Katara met his eyes for a long moment, trying to read him, but contact was broken when Iroh spoke again.

"Ah, Prince Zuko. Just in time for tea and philosophy!"

Zuko rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Actually, I'm not here for that. I wanted to let you know that Zhao sent a messenger and the crew has been ordered to report to his ship by noon."

Iroh's shoulders fell a little, his face becoming a little crestfallen, and he replied, "Then I suppose I will have to bid them farewell soon."

Zuko waved a dismissive hand and made to go back to the hall. "Good riddance to those traitors."

"Now, nephew, these men served you with honor the past three years," Iroh chided him gently. "The least you could do is send them off with luck."

When the younger firebender peeked back into the room, his eyes were narrowed in the most dry, unimpressed look Katara had ever seen from him. He didn't reply and left once more, and Iroh sighed, "At least he isn't shouting."

"I wonder why."

Iroh smiled at her then and sipped his tea again. "He knows not to shout in the presence of a lady."

Katara scowled at him then, and despite her own assertions the night before, she couldn't help but bring up the negatives of the situation, "Oh, please. He's not one to have propriety for my sake. After all, he's kept me captive this whole time."

"Ah, but he has kept his word of keeping you safe and is letting you go on peaceful terms," Iroh argued. Katara did not know how to answer, so the wizened general added, "Zuko is a complicated young man. I have always hoped to guide him to be his truest self, and I am certain he will get there eventually."

"You don't think he's already his truest self?" Katara couldn't stop herself from asking.

That cryptic look returned to Iroh's face, and the way he looked in her eyes made her question his intentions all along, but he did not respond. Instead, he sipped his tea and suggested they play Pai Sho after they finished their food.

* * *

With her bag on her back, Katara couldn't truly believe that Zuko was letting her go. There was something deep within her, believing him to be doing this as a way to set a trap and get Aang, but at the same time something even deeper knew that he was doing it because he was actually a good person beneath his damaged exterior. He had been suspiciously absent all day, leaving her with Iroh and his cryptic statements. It wasn't until she was pulling a cloak on and the bag over it that he came back to his room.

He was silent, watching her for a minute, and when she finally faced him, he huffed and looked away. "Give me your hand."

"What?" She fought the way her heart simultaneously sank and lifted at his actions.

Zuko huffed again and grabbed her hand, opened her palm and placed something there before folding her fingers over it. The texture was familiar, the weight like a part of her that she had been missing dearly for so long, and he stepped away as she opened her palm and saw her mother's necklace sitting on her palm.

"Uncle is waiting for you on the deck," he said, tone guarded and empty. "He has some money we could spare for you to find you a ferry, and at the very least a room at the local inn for the night if you can't find anyone setting sail tonight."

She looked up from the necklace, tears threatening her eyes, and she put it back on as she said, "Thank you. I know I've said it several times, but thank you for letting me go."

Her fingers trailed the weathered pendant and a tear fell when she smiled. "And thank you for returning this to me."

He looked at her from the corner of his left eye, frowning still, and he shrugged. "Better than have you stay here and eat the last of our food."

She fought the smirk that formed at his half-hearted insult and disregard of her latter statement. As she wiped the tear away, she said, "Sure. Regardless, thank you. It shows how good of a person you truly are."

Katara approached him then, testing the waters, and when he didn't move away, she rested her hands on his shoulders. It was now or never, she supposed. "It shows that you have the potential to see the wrongs that are being committed. I have faith that one day, you'll see the truth. It all starts here."

Zuko stared at her for a long moment, clearly confused, until his brow furrowed and he finally stepped away from her. "I know what you're trying to insinuate. It will _never_ happen."

"There's more to destiny than what you can see, Zuko," she repeated the same words Iroh had once said to her weeks ago. "Just because it's not clear to you, doesn't mean it's not happening. I know what you're capable of, and I know what kind of person you _truly_ are. I hope for the world's sake you see it before it's too late."

Without letting him argue, she walked out of his room. She let herself get one more lingering look at him as she walked out into the hall, now fully comfortable with the way to the deck, and she walked towards her freedom.

Just like Zuko said, Iroh was waiting for her on the deck. They walked in comfortable silence off the ship and followed the path that would lead to the closest port town. According to Iroh, it was a good mile walk but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Still, she had to have one more look over her shoulder towards the place that had essentially been her home for the past month.

When they reached the town, Iroh quickly found her a trader that would be willing to sail her up to the North Pole. With the man's experience, it would take less than two days if they embarked immediately. There was an exchange of coins between Iroh and the man - Yoshu, she learned - and Iroh was quickly embracing her in a deep, bone crushing hug.

"You may not realize it yet," he commented to her with tears in his eyes, "but you may have altered my nephew's destiny. May we see each other again on more friendly terms."

Katara fought her own tears and Iroh handed her another pouch. After telling her not to look too far for friends and to open the pouch once she was on the boat, she bid him farewell and followed Yoshu to his boat in the harbor. She stepped on deck and they started to disembark, she waved to the old general and smiled with strange giddiness at the events of the past few days. She was _finally_ going to be reuniting with her brother and Aang, and hopefully she had planted the seeds of hope in Zuko's heart that one day, he would see the truth and go against his father and his nation and help Aang bring balance back to the world.

Inside the pouch was a white lotus Pai Sho tile, one she knew was Iroh's favorite piece in his strategy. With a smile, she tucked it back in the pouch, put it in her bag, and smiled towards the shrinking town behind her.

As the sun completely set on the horizon, Katara made her way below deck to get some rest. She was quick to get sleepy, and soon her eyes were shutting and she was falling deep to sleep, but not before something like the sounds of explosions rang in the distance.

* * *

When she reached the walls of the Northern Water Tribe, Katara could not believe her eyes. As tall as the mountains that surrounded the city, engraved with the symbol of their heritage, and hugely populated with waterbenders, she was completely floored. Yoshu stopped his vessel when boats of waterbenders came out to greet them - _it's customary,_ he claimed - and when she explained she was looking for the Avatar and her brother, one of the benders immediately called her out by name.

"You know who I am?"

"Yeah, Sokka won't shut up about finding you," he claimed with exasperation, causing Katara to laugh and sob with relief at the same time. She found out his name was Naruk, and he was a bodyguard of the tribe's princess, Yue. Sokka had apparently taken up helping out around the tribe in the past few days while Aang trained with the waterbending master. He had also apparently tried to leave with Appa in the middle of the night to go find her but was stopped by the Princess herself.

Naruk gagged after saying it.

Katara grinned and bid Yoshu a fond farewell - after all, spending two days on his boat made for many traded stories and laughs. He handed her a token, a white lotus Pai Sho tile like Iroh had, and left with his pockets heavier but his heart lighter.

Then the benders demonstrated what Katara had been missing her whole life. A big, perfectly symmetrical hole appeared in the wall and the waterbenders directed them into the city. Tall buildings made of ice and snow greeted her, and a canal of temperate water guided them to the heart of the city at the base of the mountain, where she was quickly escorted to a house.

"Chief Arnook can wait," Naruk stated with a soft smile for her as he opened the door to the home. "I'm sure your brother and the Avatar would destroy the city if they found out you didn't come here first -"

_"KATARA!"_

She turned and was promptly tackled into the snow by both Sokka and Aang. And maybe even Momo. Regardless, she was been squished and a million kisses were being peppered on her cheeks and forehead and nose.

And suddenly, everything from the past month started to crash down on her and she burst into tears.

It took a while, but soon Katara was hugging both of them next to the fire, sniffling as she held a cup of tea between her mitten-clad hands. It felt so nice to be with her boys again, garbed in her familiar parka and surrounded by the blues of her people. So much time spent with the reds of the Fire Nation made her long for the blue like she had never felt before.

"So how did you escape?" Aang pressed as she sipped more of her tea.

"I didn't," Katara explained simply, causing Sokka's brow to arch in suspicion. "Zuko let me go."

Sokka then scooted so he was in front of her, examining her eyes, pressing his bare hand to her forehead, and feeling around her neck.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking to make sure you're not in shock from a head injury or something," he replied as he looked in her eyes again.

"Sokka, I'm completely fine!"

"Are you sure? Because you just told us that Zuko let you go."

"Yeah, Katara," Aang agreed with a hesitant shrug. "This is Zuko, he _captured_ you and held you hostage on his ship for over a month. We had no idea where you were and when we ran into him, he wouldn't say a thing."

She frowned and replied, "When did you run into him? He's been on the ship for almost the whole time."

"Well there was the time at the abbey," Sokka started, then he trailed off and looked to Aang. "When else did we see him? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Not since the abbey," Aang said with a sage nod. "And before that was when I got captured by Zhao and -"

"Wait," Katara cut in and set her cup of tea down. "You got captured by Zhao?!"

Aang blinked, then in a super-speed blur, he began regaling a story of how Sokka had gotten sick and Aang went to go find a doctor that could help. Instead he had been ambushed and captured, and when he thought he was done for, some guy in a blue mask with swords came to rescue him.

 _The Blue Spirit,_ Katara thought to herself. _The person Zhao had been speaking of before he left Zuko's ship the other night._

Aang continued and said that with the help of this person, he was able to get free. But the person got shot with an arrow and Aang found out it was _Zuko_ under the mask, and when Aang asked him if Katara was okay after Zuko woke up, the Prince replied that she was safe and well-taken care of. When Aang demanded that Zuko give Katara back, Zuko attacked him and Aang fled, but the airbender couldn't stop thinking about how Zuko had said she was safe.

"And I was," Katara affirmed with a smile. "They fed me regularly and I got to take baths as long as I didn't bend at them. Zuko made sure no one touched me or otherwise dishonored me or themselves."

She made sure not to mention the night that Katara was assaulted, because she knew Sokka would _swim_ to Zuko's ship in order to strangle the other teen himself. Plus she knew it had been taken care of, and she had been safe.

She also had the sneaking suspicion that the night that Zuko had gone to save Aang was the night the attack happened, and she was sure Zuko had been kicking himself enough already for leaving her unprotected.

"Despite outer appearances," Katara started, calming Aang from his erratic story about frozen frogs and earthbending, "Zuko actually cared about my safety, and ensured I was safe. He's not too bad of a guy once you get past the anger and brainwashing."

"You're crazy." Sokka even looked at her like she was.

"And eventually, Aang is going to need a firebending master," she countered. "If Zuko can prove he is capable of human decency and doing the right thing, it's possible we can convince him to change his mind and join our cause, teach Aang firebending, and bring balance to the world."

Sokka and Aang both stared at her for a long moment, the only sound between the three being the cracking of the fire and the wind blowing against the side of the igloo. It wasn't until Sokka chuckled and patted Katara on her shoulder.

"Let's just get Aang to master waterbending, then we'll go from there."

Aang immediately perked up and grabbed Katara's hands. "Speaking of! You _need_ to start coming to waterbending lessons with me. Master Pakku is kind of a grump, but he's so smart when it comes to waterbending and he would be stupid to not take in a student as smart and talented as you!"

Katara smiled and more tears fell from her eyes as she sniffed and wrapped her boys in one more hug. "Okay, I'll go with you tomorrow."

Sokka patted her on the back and coughed awkwardly, "Yeah, well let's get you a bath, some new clothes, and go speak with the Chief first."

* * *

While the Fire Nation attacked, Katara waited. Aang was trying to communicate with the spirits, Princess Yue was patiently tilting her face towards the rising moon, and Katara was panicking. She had unshakable faith in Aang, but she was worried Zhao had gotten the large force he would need to overwhelm the Water Tribe's defenses.

The fireballs continued to hit the walls, and when they had first come to the Oasis, ships were getting close enough to the entrance of the city that they were likely breaching the defenses now. Some time had passed since Katara started training as a waterbender - but not after having to actually fight Master Pakku and knock some sense into him - and she was certain she could protect Aang should anything happen and Zhao's forces enter the Oasis. She was confident she could defend him no matter what.

Her mind kept drifting to Zuko, however.

Katara worried about him, of course, based on the "friendship" they had developed in his... _care._ And knowing Zhao was coming to attack the Water Tribe and either capture Aang or kill him, she was almost completely certain that Zuko would do something drastic to stop Zhao from succeeding, his own Nation be damned, because he was so desperate to go back to his home and back in the good graces of his father.

"How long does it take?" Yue asked her, concern lacing her otherwise soothing voice.

"Who knows?" Katara replied, watching Aang's arrows continue to glow. "He should be fine as long as we don't move his body, so he has somewhere to go when he comes back."

Yue frowned and turned to look at Katara, then her eyes went over Katara's shoulders and widened before she gasped and pointed. Katara followed her gaze and saw the last person she would expect coming into the oasis.

"Zuko?"

He was panting, doubled over as he stood on the wooden bridge and clutched his side. He was staring at her, but not at the same time. His eyes were glazed and bleary, and his face bruised and cut. She couldn't imagine what the rest of his body looked like under his white winter garb.

Zuko narrowed his eye, as if he was trying to focus, and he stepped forward. "Katara?"

It was then that he stumbled and she rushed to him, catching him before he hit the ground entirely. "Zuko! What in the spirits is going on? What happened to you?!"

He coughed and weakly shoved himself away from her, pushing himself to a standing position and backing up. "Hand him over, Katara."

There was clear conflict in his eyes, desperation and hopelessness, too, and she felt her own hope falter in him. "You know I can't do that, Zuko."

The conflict became even more apparent and he raised his hands to attack. "Please. I have to."

Katara approached him and grasped his hands, holding them tight - he could either burn her or let her hold on tighter, and at this point her healing abilities were strong enough she could reverse any damage he did to her - and she exclaimed, "You don't have to do anything, Zuko! You have a chance to choose your own destiny, not one somebody gave you. Please!"

He kept staring at her, battered and bruised like he had just gone through a bad fight to even get here, and she realized he was shaking in her grasp. Over her shoulder, she called out to the Princess, "Yue, go get Sokka. I'll handle this."

Yue nodded and ran, grabbing her coat on the way, and Zuko didn't even move his glowing eyes from Katara as the Princess fled to get reinforcements.

"Please, Zuko. I know there's good in you that's fighting to do the right thing," she plead softly with his hands on her heart now. "You know capturing Aang and somehow getting him back to the Fire Nation won't help anyone. But..."

She steeled herself and took a small step closer to him, as close as they had been when she launched herself into a hug with him the last night she spent with him.

"... If you _join_ us, if you help Aang learn firebending, you can help bring balance back to the world."

Zuko blinked and yanked his hands away from hers like _she_ had burned _him_. "And forsake my people? Go against my _father_ and become a traitor?! Do you hear yourself?!"

"I know what I said."

He shook his head rapidly, then looked over at Aang, who was still sitting near the water with his glowing tattoos. He looked so _scared,_ so conflicted that her heart was starting to ache for him. He kept shaking his head and stepping back. "No, no, _no,_ I _have_ to do it."

"How are you going to even get him there, Zuko?!" she implored with a snap. He met her eyes and stared with incredulity. "Your crew was taken, you and your uncle can't operate the ship alone, and you have no way of keeping Aang locked up since the stupid cell door is broken! And even then, I know you're heart really isn't in it. You _know_ what fate Aang faces if he is captured and given to the Fire Lord. Even _I_ know you couldn't do that to a twelve-year-old."

In his eyes, Katara could see Zuko knew the truth. He had been denying it for so long, that hearing it from someone else had just made it all the more real. He had always known, and it took Katara shouting it at him to acknowledge the pointlessness of his entire journey during his banishment. He looked so small and hopeless when he asked quietly, "What other choice do I have?"

Katara approached him again, reaching out to take his hands again. "I said it before, join us. Join _me._ What you're looking for, the Fire Lord can't give it to you."

There was some commotion outside of the Oasis, voices starting to reach them, and Katara could tell it wasn't Sokka or Yue coming to them.

"And you think I can find it on your side?"

She clutched his hands a little tighter and nodded. "You already have your honor. Bring it back to your nation by stopping them from destroying the world."

He was starting to shake his head again when Katara decided to give into that pull she had felt towards him since the first night she stayed in his quarters, since he had looked at the man who attacked her with righteous fury, when he had softly agreed to let her go. Like she had launched herself on him for the hug before, Katara pushed herself onto her toes and captured Zuko's lips in a kiss. He made a muffled noise of surprise against her mouth, but he didn't pull away. Instead, after a moment of tension, he started to soften and pushed himself a little closer to her.

The commotion outside the Oasis was getting louder and he pulled away, then pressed his forehead against hers. "I can't betray my people."

"Is it really a betrayal if you're doing it to help them in the long run?"

"I'd always be hunted," he murmured as he started to pull away from her even more. "We will never be safe, even if you have the Avatar with on your side. Zhao already tried to kill me and he won't stop until he succeeds."

Katara met his eyes and she gave him a rueful smile, feeling something warm in her chest at the fact that he seemed to _entertain_ the idea, even briefly. "I'll protect you. Like you protected me."

A loud bang at the Oasis door echoed throughout the whole cavern, and both Katara and Zuko turned to the noise. An awfully familiar voice came from the other side of the door and Katara grabbed Zuko's sleeve.

"You have to get out of here," she exclaimed. "Go hide and I'll find you."

Zuko turned back to her and was completely speechless, so she shoved him towards the bridge again. "Go! If what you said is true and he sees you here, you may not get out."

Without a word, he swooped in and kissed her one more time before he broke away and sprinted towards the bridge. He didn't go for the door, however, and instead jumped into the water that acted as a moat for the Oasis and disappeared. He must have come in that way through the tunnels that connected to the City. Either way, he was gone, out of sight, and Katara felt that she could finally breathe.

Unfortunately, that was when Aang finally woke up from his meditation and Zhao entered the Oasis, flanked with firebenders.

* * *

The sun rose on the Northern Water Tribe, free of the Fire Nation soldiers that attempted to destroy her. The Princess was dead, her brother devastated, yet the people lived. Katara, however, was not feeling any hope. She had been searching since Yue sacrificed herself to replace the moon spirit, having left the Oasis with Iroh at her flank, looking for Zuko.

They separated when a few waterbenders found her and asked for her help with a collapsed igloo, and when she went back to where Iroh had last been, he was gone. She searched until the sun was already fully in the sky, sweat beading on her forehead despite the cold, and her stomach plummeted at the thought of what the Ocean spirit could have done to Zuko.

And she couldn't ask any of the other Water Tribesmen to help, knowing what they would do if they found out that she was trying to find the banished Fire Prince that had broken into their city during a siege in an attempt to capture the Avatar and ruin the chance of peace in the world.

Instead, she went to Aang.

"He has to still be in the city," she claimed with an uneven voice. "I told him to hide, but I don't know where he went. I have to find him."

Aang shook his head with a despondent frown, clearly not having the same hope she had. "Katara, all of the firebenders in the city were swept under by the Ocean spirit..."

Tears burst from her eyes and she turned to run, but instead ran right into Pakku's chest. He clutched her shoulders, stopping her, and she met his eyes with her own glassy ones.

"Something wrong, Katara?"

She shook her head, afraid of what her master would say when she told him the truth, and instead she said, "I'm just..."

Pakku sighed as he rolled his eyes and dug into his pocket. "I have a message to pass along to you."

Katara's heart stopped as he pulled out a Pai Sho tile, just like the one Iroh and Yoshu had both given her, and he handed it to her.

" _They_ were able to get out safely," he remarked as the tile was placed on her palm. The familiar White Lotus piece sat there, the weight light but there nonetheless, and he continued, "Our mutual friend wanted to thank you for everything you have done for his nephew and hopes to see you again soon."

Her confusion doubled and the questions she knew she needed to ask were lodged in her throat. Before she could ask Pakku to elaborate, he bowed and started walking away towards where Chief Arnook was speaking to Sokka. She looked down at the piece again, hope and faith blooming hotly in her chest at the implication of the white lotus and Pakku's statement.

She looked out to the south and the sea, while smile pulled itself wide on her lips. Quietly she whispered, "I _will_ find you."

* * *

_fin._

_for now..._


End file.
